Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems, processes and products for the storage and retrieval of documentary information, including: physical paper documents; corresponding electro-optically generated electronic documents, e.g. digital images produced by scanning or photography; and computer generated electronic documents, e.g. digital text produced by word processing and/or digital graphics produced by computer aided design.
2. The Prior Art
Numerous systems and processes have been proposed for the storage and retrieval of documentary information. Traditional practices over the centuries, of course, have involved storage and retrieval by manually accessing indexed arrangements of original papers and xe2x80x9chard copiesxe2x80x9d in folders, boxes, shelving and cabinets. Later practices have involved photographically reducing the original papers to produce indexed miniaturizations in microfilm spools or microfiche sheets, storing the spools or sheets in indexed containers, folders or other physical repositories, and retrieving images or hard copies of the miniaturizations by optical projection or photographic reproduction.
Now there are a proliferation of proposals for digital computer systems that opto-electronically scan original papers: to create electronic representations in computer memory; to store digital records of these representations in magnetic and/or optical media; and to retrieve images or hard copies corresponding to these records electro-magnetically or electro-optically.
Recent advances in low cost computer architecture, particularly, faster clock speeds, higher resolution displays, and denser storage media, have generated discussions of whether or not a xe2x80x9cpaperless officexe2x80x9d is possible, and, indeed, what is the meaning of xe2x80x9cpaperless office.xe2x80x9d
Furthermore, in many cases, reference to original papers or other original physical documents, even if infrequent, may be essential. For example, original physical documents may be required or desired: (1) in litigation where specific rules of evidence pertain; (2) as backup in the event that lost or faulty images are discovered later; (3) in major commercial, financial and insurance dealings where physical signatures may be important or merely may be perceived to be important; (4) in Internet transactions where the parties do not meet legal requirements for dispensing with paper records or do not agree to do so; (5) as backup for technical graphics, precision photographs, medical diagnostics, and the like, where differences in resolution between images and originals may become significant; (6) as backup in the event of corruption of electronic files; (7) as complete copies of voluminous treatises in which only the table of contents and/or other selected portions have been imaged for convenience; and (8) in large organizations, where careful planning requires the periodic destruction of selected corresponding paper and electronic records that may bear dates prior to some legally mandated or permitted threshold, or where unnecessary paper proliferation may become a source of confusion.
Much confusion has been encountered in the implementation of systems that are based on: original paper documents themselves; imaged electronic documents of the type that are created by scanning or photographing paper documents and the like; and computer generated electronic documents of the type that are created by word processors and the like. This confusion compounds a variety of conflicts, among which are: whether to store bit maps based on simple scanning, or text resulting from optical character recognition, or both; whether or not to mix optically generated electronic documents and computer generated electronic documents; whether or not the storage of optically generated electronic image files should mirror the storage of the original paper documents; whether or not an original paper filing system should be retained without change; whether or not a system is so sophisticated that computer literate professional level operators and/or supervisors are required; and whether or not a system is so rudimentary that even entry level operators may be sufficiently trustworthy.
The foregoing problems are greatly magnified in networked systems, where difficulties may be encountered particularly in standardizing, at disparate locations, the storage and retrieval of original physical paper documents, and, sometimes, hard paper copies of electro-optically generated and computer generated documents. There is a requirement for systems: in which the physical filing of paper documents is radically simplified; in which access to infrequently needed paper documents is precisely indicated; and in which optically generated electronic documents and computer generated electronic documents are clearly differentiated.
In order to maintain clarity, the present application adopts the following definitions:
(I) physical documents (sometimes abbreviated to physical files) are defined herein as actual paper documents or actual photographs or the like, of the type that are directly visually perceptible.
(II) electronic image documents (sometimes abbreviated to image documents or image files) are defined herein as electronic files of the type that are generated electro optically by scanning or photographing physical documents such as actual paper documents, photographs, and the like. In one form, these electronic image documents are bitmap documents.
(III) electronic work documents (sometimes abbreviated to work documents or work files) are defined herein as electronic files of the type that are generated in a computer by a word processor program, a spreadsheet, a computer aided design program, or the like. In one form, these electronic work documents are PostScript documents. 5PostScript is a page description language originated by Adobe Systems, Inc.
(IV) electronic documents (sometimes referred to as electronic files) include electronic image documents and electronic work documents.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide, for the storage and retrieval of original physical documents (printed paper and photographic presentations) electronic image documents (electro-optically generated electronic documents), and electronic work documents (computer generated electronic documents): systems, processes and products, which facilitate the use of electronic documents rather than physical documents whenever feasible or acceptable, but which also facilitate the use of physical documents rather than electronic documents whenever necessary or preferred. The result is less organizational confusion and emotional frustration, and more creative use of time and resources. The systems, processes and products of the present invention are particularly advantageous in connection with simultaneously archiving and later simultaneously disposing of corresponding physical and electronic documents.
More specifically, the present invention contemplates the following features.
(1) Electronic image documents and electronic work documents, which may be completely unrelated in form or content, are acquired or produced to provide one or more real time sequences of electronic documents in one or more real time sequences of date/time instances. (2) Acquired or produced physical documents, for ultimate convenience, simply are added to the front (or the back) of one or more cumulative physical stacks. (3) The resulting electronic records, with assured precision, uniquely identify the physical locations of the physical documents and the electronic locations of the electronic documents, both in terms of their associated date/time instances. (4) In effect, these date/time instances guarantee that virtual sets of related physical documents may be conveniently accessed and physically retrieved, and that corresponding sets of related electronic documents may be immediately displayed and suitably presented. (5) Also, pursuant to any particular archive policy, these date/time instances can guarantee the joint disposal of corresponding physical and electronic documents that have been received and/or created prior to any selected date.